Shadows of the Mind
by blondiesasylum
Summary: Aubree McKrea, new mutant on the block... Just your average teen, smart mouthed, atitude. You know... Please Review.
1. Default Chapter

X~Men

Aubree McKrea stepped out of a black car and looked up. Charles Xavier's school for the gifted may have impressed many with it's grand gothic style, but to a girl who had lived her entire life with such luxuries it was just another prison. One her parents were banishing her to because they couldn't deal with her mutation any longer; or should she say they couldn't hide it.

They tried. Aubree had to give them that much, but they never could get used to her picking something up without touching it, something she did constantly in hopes that they would get over their fear. They had seemed a little less jumpy after a while; at least until she started answering questions seconds before they'd ask them. The last straw came when her hair turned black and her skin turned blue six months ago. They couldn't even look at her anymore and not see a mutant, neither could their friends, and where would that leave them in the social ladder? Outcasts. Rich outcasts, but it was all the same. So before their mutant daughter became public knowledge, they would send her to a private school, in America, far away from McKrea Manor in southern Ireland. She still couldn't shake the underlying feeling of fear she'd get off them when ever they were in the room. She was almost certain it wasn't directed towards her; it was as if there was something else they were afraid of and she was a visible reminder; it hurt all the same. She had long since wrote it off as peer pressure, but now she wasn't sure. The fear had hit a new peak three days ago, as if they were waiting for something to stop them at any moment.

She made herself smile at the shofer. Hiding the pain they both knew was there. He warped a warm arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. Colin was a good man, he had decided to come with her and keep her company against her parents wishes. In many ways he was like a second father, always there when her natural father was away. The only problem was that he would now have to abandon her at her parents request, or lose his job. But she was glad he came.

"Thank you Colin." Aubree adopted the typical attitude expected of one with her status to cover up the lump in her throat. "That'll be all." Nodding his head he climbed back into the car, saying nothing when he saw a tear roll off her cheek or the slight slump of her shoulders as realization sunk in. Yes, he was a good man and a loyal friend whom she would miss bitterly.

Aubree looked up again to the cold dark windows of the school, paying no mind to the white haired woman and children who came to collect her bags and show her to her room. A prison, one with no bars except the ones placed by her parents half a world away. Following the cheerful woman down several hallways to a quaint little room, silently fuming, Aubree decided stubbornly to be miserable. The woman who's name was Storm chattered endlessly in a cheerful tone that Aubree all but ignored, retaining away only the important bits. The brunet with the streak was Rouge and her quiet companion was Bobby, she would love the school, make herself at home, so on and so forth. Home... The thought hit a cord; leaving her emotionally empty.

They finally left her alone in her room to unpack with the promise that someone would arrive in one hour to show her the way when supper was ready. Ignoring them, she sat on the low window ledge watching the sunset over the autumn landscape. Her cell phone started to ring. It would be Dianne, her mother, she would ask how the trip went. There would be a brief exchange of polite pleasantries ending in 'I love you sweetie', with her father Peter in the background yelling about how late they were going to be to some function or another. Feeling no need to have a conversation she could already recite, Aubree let it ring. They'd hang up. 

~ Library ~Forward ~


	2. chapter 2

X~Men

As Aubree sat toweling her hair there was a knock at the door, and a male voice asking to come in. With a sigh she threw on a bathrobe and unlocked the door. A man strolled in wearing sunglasses; taking one look at her attire he grinned, not only physically but mentally. She couldn't help but smile back even though she had resolved to be miserable.

"Would you rather I come back in a few moments to show you to the dinner table?" He motioned towards the door.

Aubree just shook her head and took a change of clothes with her into the bathroom. She caught a brief mental tone of indignation, as he was set back by her abruptness before curiosity took over. By his thoughts she knew he was rummaging through her stuff. Cyclops was it or was it Scott? His thought weren't all to clear on that point.

Aubree walked out to see him holding a small picture in a thin silver frame. A happily sunburned, freckled faced, strawberry blond eight year old perched on the shoulders of a man with gray at the temples in a crisp white dress shirt, and an equally bright smile. Scott looked from her to the picture several times.

"Is it you?" He carefully examined her milky blue skin, black hair and solid glowing red eyes. Aubree came to stand beside him, slowly taking the picture from his hand, placing it back on the nightstand.

"Half a lifetime ago." Aubree admitted with a sad smile. Way back when her parents didn't cringe at the sight of her.

"So you DO talk! You know Storm was beginning to wonder." Scott cut himself off when he noticed her drawing back into a shell. Arms crossed protectively, a very soft smile touched her lips as she absently looked out the window trying to catch a glimpse of the last embers of the day. Meaning to be encouraging he reached out to touch her arm; Aubree pulled away moments before they touched.

"Your safe here you know." It was a statement not ment as a question; or to be argued.

"That has yet to be seen." Feeling a little defiant and annoyed with his assurance of ultimate protection Aubree decided to argue; and she knew exactly what would convince him of her superiority on the subject. For the first time she looked him strait in the face. The full red glare of her eyes had made even Colin flinch a time or two, but Scott just stood there unaffected and obviously confused. Aubree looked back at the sunset. That was not the expected reaction.

"I'm not safe much of anywhere anymore." Aubree absently added; more to herself than anyone. 

Scott silently wished he had Jean or the Professor there to help him figure her out.

"What's that suppose to mean if you don't mind me asking?"

"Nothing." Shaking her head and rubbing her temples. Angry with herself for letting that slip. "I'm just tired and bit o' the pessimist. I'll be better in the morn." She faked a smile that would convince anyone that didn't know her well. Scott shrugged and led her down the long halls to the gathered throngs of students. Aubree mentally cringed as the full force of multiple curious youths invaded the calm recesses of her mind. She remembered how much she hated crowds and people in general for that matter.

Seeking a face she recognized; Aubree realized that Bobby and Rouge were seated at the opposite end of the table she had been directed to. With a warm smile, Bobby talked the young boy next to him into moving over one chair and waved her over.

"Thought you'd enjoy some company your first day here." Bobby whispered as Aubree came close enough to hear. His excitement was nearly drowned out by the background noise of the crowd. 

"I appreciate your kindness greatly." She sighed dropping into the chair.

"Oh! Ah see someone else has an accent as well." Rouge nudged Bobby with her elbow. "Now you'll have ta lay off ice boy." She teased.

"Not so my favorite victim." Bobby's menacing counter was cut short by a bowl of potatoes thrust in his face. He cringed wondering if he would be wearing them soon. They stopped centimeters from his nose. Calmly he took it from Rouge, and started serving not only himself but Aubree as well.

The rest of the evening was a blur of introductions and a barrage information she couldn't hope to remember by morning. It continued the entire walk back to her room as Rouge chattered on, affirming every step that she wasn't going out of her way when Aubree mentioned it. But if she remembered correctly, Rouge was on the other side of the manor. Aubree silently prayed that she didn't want to come in and snoop as had Scott. All she wanted now was quiet and sleep. Her prayers were answered when Rouge calmly pointed at her door, announced they were there, and kept on walking after wishing her good dreams.

Aubree calmly shut the door behind her and locked it. Mentally and emotionally drained she started to cry. Nothing was going right anymore and things kept spinning more and more out of control with every breath she took. Her only hope now was that the dreams hadn't followed her from Ireland.

~ Backward ~ Library ~Forward ~


	3. capter 3

X~Men

Aubree awoke the next morning with a jolt as the realization that she wasn't alone sunk in. Rouge squeaked rather oddly when a hand reached up to grab her gloved one. The two girls looked at each other in shocked amazement for a few moments, then dissolved into gales of laughter.

"What are you doing girl?" Aubree sat up allowing room for Rouge to sit on the bed as well.

"Ya slept in so Ah was sent ta fetch ya." Rouge winked. Carefully leaning forward she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Math with Storm, and Ah get ta sit next ta Bobby!"

Aubree couldn't help but smile at her new found friend. She had to admit the immediate acceptance was refreshing and someone seeing her as normal was wonderful. Her life had taken such a drastic turn recently that she had began to forget how to react to the typical everyday conversations. Maybe it was time to relearn. Something Rouge said hit home.

"Math?"

"Yah Math. Ya know? Two plus two?" She wrinkled her nose at Aubree.

"Is it a trig course?"

"Trig?" Rouge thought a moment. "Oh! Ah see now, you're ah brain child or somethin'?."

Aubree just giggled. She had private tutors all her life and they moved her at her pace not by one set by the local school systems. They obviously hadn't checked her records yet and just placed her in the grade level the average sixteen year old should be in.

"Well, in tha' case. Ah'd suggest ya go find the professor. Maybe he can figure somethin' out." Rouge scratched her head. "Sleep away! Ah'll go an' tell Storm." She paused looking as mystivious as ever. "Unless you'd like ta do my homework for me." She giggled on her way out. 

Aubree just smiled. She liked Rouge.

Aubree taped on yet another door. She was told the professor was here but found no one, then someone would hunt her down and say they saw him over there, and so the goose chase began. For a person who was supposedly handicapped the professor certainly got around. The room on the other side of the door was quiet, devoid of mental noise. Aubree tried the handle to find it unlocked. He should return to his personal office sometime today; besides, if she saw another flight of stairs anytime soon she would scream.

Gratefully sinking into the plush chair just inside the door Aubree waited, silently cataloging the interior of the room. Comfortable was the only way to describe it. Both mentally and physically.

~ Backward ~ Library ~Forward ~


	4. chapter 4

X~Men

Charles Xavier paused for a moment when he felt the unexpected mental presence of a person he didn't know in his study. It had to be a strong telepath for them to block him long enough to not notice they were there until he had his hand on the door. Most students should be in classes at the moment and he didn't have one for a couple hours. Gean wouldn't wait for him, she would track him down. Mentally shrugging he wheeled himself in. A casual glance into the room showed no sign of anyone. Movement in the corner of the room caught his eye. He turned to see a dark haired blue skinned teen groggily pulling herself out of a chair looking half asleep. She had been waiting a while; and was also someone he didn't recognize.

"Good afternoon and how may I help you?"

Aubree stretched slightly trying to work a kink out.

"I was wanting to inquire which classes you have me assigned for."

"And why is that?" Realization hit as to who this girl was. "Aubree is it?" He wheeled over to his desk and she followed. Her shields were amazingly solid and resistant to even scans of surface thoughts.

"Rouge woke me this morning for a math class that was less than trigonometry even though I'm advanced. I was wondering if there were other changes that needed to be made and was directed to you. Only you weren't to be found. Tired of chasing you around I waited."

Charles blinked in surprise. Orroro and Scott had said she was quiet and reserved; perhaps this was the difference of a good nights sleep?

"Well lets get started shall we? Do you even want to take math? I'm afraid I don't have anyone that enjoys teaching trig."

She cracked a smile; and the interrogation began. Charles tried several times to get past her shields without success. The only thing he gained was a headache while Aubree chattered on as if nothing was going on. Curiosity finally got the better of him just as she started to leave.

"I have one last question." She paused, hand on the door. "Who taught you how to shield?"

"No one."

"There must have been someone along the way. Your shields are incredible." He had caught a tinge of fear for a brief moment when her shields dropped for a split second. She must have dropped them for a moment when he was outside the door, that would explain why he didn't spot her before. He felt a soft tentative probe in the corners of his mind; looking for something. Maybe she couldn't scan and shield well at the same time?

"I don't like people in my head is all."

"Who?"

She chose not to answer; firmly closing the door behind her. She definitely had someone specific in mind and Charles wanted to find out who.

~ Backward ~ Library ~Forward ~


	5. chapter 5

X~Men

Charles Xavier sat in his study trying to catch up on his paperwork. The new girl Aubree McKrea was an enigma he wasn't sure he had the time and patience to solve. She was the only child of Rick and Dianne, a couple of associates of his; she was spoiled and adored up till her fourteenth birthday. It wasn't surprising that things changed soon after the mutation was discovered. What had him puzzled was the fact that she looked in everywhere normal up until six months ago. Why would she turn blue now two years after the first signs were discovered? But that was undoubtedly connected to the one other thing that continued to bother him; the fact that her abilities weren't exactly stable. New ones would show up seemingly at random combined with the fact that she would go through such peaks and lows that he was beginning to wonder if she could gain any control at all. He could only imagine the problems that would arise when she; unable to adjust quickly enough to a peak in her abilities, tried to control one person and end up taking over a crowd.

The empathy and telepathy seemed the most consistent, and from the descriptions he had gotten from Rick, they were the first to surface; along with rapid healing discovered in a hospital directly following a car crash that should have left her paralyzed from the shoulders down. Charles needed a lot of time to train her, but from Rick's hintings; time was the one thing they didn't have. It frustrated him when all he could pick out of his mind was broken pieces. It seemed that a person or a group was aware of Aubree's mutation and has hunting her; and wanted to use her abilities or wished the child harm; with an underlying impression that only she could save herself from them. Rick must have seen Aubree do something grand to make him think that she alone could do more than all his students combined. He couldn't pick out whatever it was that had happened, and it was obvious that Aubree wasn't going to tell him. The only way to be sure which one it was would be to get inside her mind. Aubree gave him the definite impression that he couldn't do that without notice, or consequences.

Almost falling asleep on his pile of papers, Charles decided to call it quits until morning. Aubree would have to wait until then. He only hoped they wouldn't run out of time. He had reason to pause though when he felt a little nagging feeling like he was forgetting something important; something in the back of his mind was tugging at him. With a jolt he realized it was Aubree. Closing his eyes he mentally reached out for the feather like probe and was instantly drawn into her mind.

Charles stood at the edge of a cliff. The sea crashed threateningly on the rocks far below him. The sky was clouded and dark as far as he could see, a quiet promise of an oncoming storm. He turned around to see the soft rolling green hills of Ireland stretching far beyond the horizon into the sunset. A single small whitewashed stone building with a new thatch roof and smoke coming from the chimney promised a respite from the wind now ripping the warmth from his body.

A blink of the eye and he was on the doorstep; another and he was inside at a rough table in a warm fire lit room, staring into intense green eyes belonging to a pale freckled face of a strawberry blond sixteen year old. It took him a few moments to realize she was Aubree, as she had looked not to long ago. Before he could collect his thoughts together to ask her some of the questions he had formulated moments ago she brought a finger to her lips and he blinked.

Seated at the base of an immense waterfall Charles couldn't begin to think over the roar it caused. Sun filtered through the dense canopy glinting off of Aubree as she moved, giving an angelic impression. The lush thick carpet of moss wasn't damaged, adding to the surreal effect. Realization set in instantly. This was her way of changing the conversation. Stubbornly he forced his thoughts back to the small house by the sea. He blinked.

Aubree scowled at him and added another log to the fire.

"Happy?"

With the roar of the waterfall still ringing in his ears he could only smile at her, at least until he could begging to hear his own thoughts again. Trying to find a more politically correct way of saying things that she couldn't shoot down was even harder.

"How much do you know about the circumstances that brought you to my school?" 

"Hmmm, let us see." She began sarcastically, watching the fire the whole time. "I turned blue. My parents decided they couldn't stand to look at me anymore, and sent me to America. That sound about right?"

"Do you honestly believe that?" Her shields astounded him. He was inside her mind, yet he could only see and read what she wanted him to. Aubree's control was amazing for someone who supposedly had no training.

"What else am I suppose to conclude when they tell me nothing?" Aubree momentarily lost control as her abilities dropped in power. A feeling something akin to a little hurt and lost puppy came across loud and clear. "Why are you here anyway?" She snapped annoyed at herself as well as his being there to witness her lapse.

Charles accepted the last for what it was, another way to change an uncomfortable subject. He smiled at her. "If you didn't want this conversation you shouldn't have invited me." Curiosity got the better of him. He had to ask; it was innocent enough. "Why did you?" 

There was a long pause before she shrugged. "I was lonely."

The real reason hung just beyond his reach. Tempting him to grab it while her shields were down. Suddenly there was a surge and the opportunity was lost. The unreal shields were immediately snapped back into place as her abilities incised in power. But there was something else now in the back of her mind. A presence not his yet outside of herself. Aubree's head snapped up and she looked in that direction.

"I think you'd better go now."

Charles blinked and found himself back in his wheelchair, even more confused than before. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. He could still feel that mental touch although it's memory was slowly fading. It belonged to someone of great power and experience. Perhaps Rick's concerns were justified after all. 

{Gean}

He soon felt her sleep fogged mental touch.

{Go to Aubree, Quickly, I'll meet you there.}

Gean picked up on the urgency underlying his orders and didn't ask any questions. Charles only hoped they wouldn't be to late; time had ran out. 

~ Backward ~ Library ~ 


End file.
